1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an auxiliary system, particularly to an auxiliary steering system, which can replace the driver to steer a vehicle automatically.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the automobile was invented more than a hundred years ago, it has made a great influence on our daily living. Nowadays, the automobiles are designed to meet the various requirements of people, and the automobile industry has become the most competitive and creative industry. In the recent years, the human creativity and intelligence have been challenged by people's pursuit of the speed, rigidity and comfortableness of the automobile.
As to the automatic/auxiliary electronic steering mechanisms for automobiles, a Taiwan patent publication No. 183693 proposed an “Automatic Vehicle Guiding System Compatible with the Conventional Systems and a Method Thereof”, which is compatible with the existing guidewire systems and provides both guide-wire navigation and communication for autonomous navigation, guidance and wireless communication between a central controller and each vehicle, wherein an angular rate sensing apparatus, in combination with the use of a Kalman filter, allows correction for navigation and guidance errors.
Further, a Taiwan patent publication No. 375583 proposed a “Cooperative Artificial Copilot”, which is an intelligent automotive steering system and utilizes a steering actuator and an image sensor to assist the driver in steering the vehicle. The decision center of the cooperative artificial copilot is a microcomputer containing the expert's knowledge on vehicle dynamics. The cooperative artificial copilot constantly monitors the driving status with a steering wheel sensor and an image sensor. In an appropriate timing, the cooperative artificial copilot controls the steering actuator to provide a torque to assist in steering or correcting the steering angle so that the vehicle can run in a traffic lane safely.
However, both of the abovementioned conventional technologies need to modify the original structure/systems of the vehicle. The automatic driving systems being developed currently also lay stress on modifying the steering wheel and replace the steering wheel with a gear disc; such a design not only changes the original structure but also makes the driver unable to directly control the vehicle.
Accordingly, the present invention proposes an auxiliary steering system, which is based on the premise of assisting in manual driving and implementing automatic driving.